2012

[Tomcat]

Our friend the TG925 is a UK Citizen i do so believe , unless hes a good actor

[L B F]

But his prodigious seed is truly cosmopolitan!

[Dabbler]

Well, he's been around: we can agree on that  It's been a while since I read them (I just re-upped to the board under a new alias);  but from TG's firs trip reports I thought that he was originally from the US.

D.

[moe666]

Medicare doesn't cover you out of the US.

Tex the one question you need to ask yourself can you live in Thailand without working.

[El_hefe]

Yeah, I think the best you can expect to earn there is beer & noodle money, nothing substantial unless you run an active internet business or get hired by a international corp before you move, & I suspect that would have to be on a management level or with a very specific, needed skill set (French pastry chef, landmine removal, wildlife conservation.....)

Just figure out your source(s) of income & 4-5% of your savings/investments & that is your budget, and you will have to figure in inflation & medical expenses too unfortunately.....

I'm in the middle of this same process, figure I have a couple more years to go. Right now in the States is a great time to buy income earning properties if you have the down payments, I'm however, plowing all my savings into retirement accounts & don't have the cash on hand.

[TEXASMAC]

Moe I could live for about 40 months if I kept the expenditures at about $1000.oo a month. I have taken Pacman's advice and contacted the crooks, oops I mean Merryl Lynch about the possibility of moving my money from the 401K without taken the big loss. My only concern on that though is I would need something to do. I have received more information from the Text and Talk Academy. The price for the class is about $1500.00 and once you make payment they will help you start working on the visa. They promise to help you find work. I just think I will need something to do to stay active. I do like the idea of teaching because it gives a little cash, keeps me busy and I am good with Kids. Much may happen between now and 2012 and I

[TEXASMAC]

oops, will keep soliciting advice from all. I did tell Jimbo months ago I would be a bottle washer for him for a small fee but he declined my services. Thank you to all.

[Foggy]

I moved to Thailand 17 months ago as I was so pissed off with the Uk I needed to escape. There is nothing there for me and after deciding and working solid for 5 years previously to acheive this goal am now in a much better place.

I wasnt prepared to give any more of my life away and have just taken the gamble that things will work out and I will have more good times in Thailand than I ever could in the Uk.

Having visited friends and family last month only confirms my choice was the right one.

Having been kept busy by building my own place all this time that now is coming to a close and I do really wonder what I will do to fill my time. As this is the single most troublesome thing here for me.

But so far things are turning up as I need them and I believe life does that for u, but you need to be here for that to happen.

The motto here is Just do it or your regret it.

cheers Foggy

[BlueBallz]

Tex,
If you only have a budget of about 30,000-40,000 range then DONT DO IT!! I would be willing to bet you would be miserable!!!

be careful out there!!

[sid the sexist]

Well that depends what you want from Thailand...

If you want to recreate and somehow transplant your lifestyle from the US into Thailand then you will be frustrated on a budget.

People who move here generally don't want to do that, though.

Having said that - living in Bangkok on a grand (30,000 baht) a month WOULD be an exercise in frustration!

[TEXASMAC]

That would be if I could not work. I could empty the 401k but the USA Tax Man would take a huge bite of my ass. As on this writing I am banking $800.00 extra to retirement every month. I figure rent is about 18,000 bhat each month so the big question is can I live on the rest. The advice has all been good and appreciated but as Foggy says do I just do it or regret it. The saga will continue. By the way talked to the crooks, oops I mean Merrill Lynch. If I take the 401k I say good-bye to 42%.

[COIN FLIP]

Where would you want to live for the first year or so?

18,000 seems a bit steep for rent unless you want to live in Bangkok.

[rxpharm]

texasmac, is there an option to reinvest your 401K into a vehicle that will pay out a monthly sum? In Canada once an RRSP (registered retirement savings plan) is drawn out, it can be re-invested into a RRIF (registered retirement income fund) - that will make monthly payments (and still accumulate interest on the remaining balance). This has the advantage of lowering the tax rate on the original RRSP principal.

Good luck with your planning!

[TEXASMAC]

Thanks rx, I have to check that out. My Merril rep never mentioned anything like that. I guess thats why I started this post so I could gather intelligence.

[sid the sexist]

If it was me doing this now I would...

Move to Pattaya and find a cheap, clean and secure room for about 7,000 baht a month.

Spend the first couple of months fucking and getting the whoring out of my system.

After that I'd take buses/planes/trains to other cities like Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Koh Chang, Phuket, Trang and about 4 more also.

I'd spend at least 3 nights in each city, rent a motorbike for about 200 baht a day and get a 'feel' for each city.

After that I'd go back to the one I liked the most and spend a couple of weeks there in a cheap hotel and really scout the place out...

Then I'd go back to Pattaya, fuck like crazy till the lease on my pad expired, pack my shit and move to my favorite city.

THEN I'd think about how I could afford to stay there!